NCAA Men's Golf: Oregon Set to Host Oregon Duck Invitational

Action will begin at 8:00 AM each day with a shotgun start. The tournament is open to the public and admission is free.

The fifth hole at Eugene Country Club. Photo: goducks.com

EUGENE - Oregon returns to Eugene to host its annual Oregon Duck Invitational, Monday and Tuesday at the Eugene Country Club.

Action will begin at 8:00 AM each day with a shotgun start. The tournament is open to the public and admission is free.

Teams will play two rounds on Monday and a final 18 Tuesday.

The course has been stretched to 7,033 yards from the championship tees and will play to a par of 72.

The format, where six golfers from a team will participate and the best four scores are counted, is a slight departure from the traditional five-count-four scoring that is the norm in college golf.

The main impetus for the six-player format is that the Ducks will be hosting the Pac-10 championships at the end of next month at ECC, where teams will also compete six golfers.

Defending champion San Diego State and Pacific will join the 10 Pac-10 schools to comprise the 12-team field.

The Duck Invitational will feature three of the nation’s top 10 teams according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, including top-ranked Stanford. No. 6 USC and No. 9 UCLA are also in the top 10.

Other schools in the top 50 include No. 21 Arizona State, No. 28 Arizona, No. 30 Washington -- which won the Duck Invitational when it was last held at ECC in 2005 and No. 46 San Diego State.

The local teams, Oregon and Oregon State, are ranked 79th and 80th, respectively, as both are vying for bids to the NCAA Regionals in May.

In last season’s Duck Invitational, played at Shadow Hills Country Club in Junction City, Ore., Oregon finished sixth, 22 strokes behind the Aztecs.

Derek Sipe was Oregon’s top individual, tying for third at 4-under 212.

Oregon last won its own tournament in 2002.

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